Pieces of the Puzzle
by nightowl880
Summary: Being near Lucy is like Natsu's drug. When they're together, everything is right. Lucy's just... different. AU one-shot. Dedicated to Dazztugz!


**It's here! This is my first one-shot, made for Dazztugz. Thanks so much for your comment! :) It's an AU fic, in case you didn't see that in the description. And it's NaLu. Enjoy ;D**

"Hey Lucy!" I shouted, jogging down the crowded hall of Magnolia High, waving wildly. "Lucy!" She turned and, upon seeing me, smiled widely. My breath, inexplicably, caught in my throat. It was always like that with Lucy. She was just...different.

Still smiling, she left the cluster of friends gathered by her locker to meet me. I wound around two people who were pressed extremely close together. The guy had his lips locked with the girl's, and they had some sort of rhythm going. CPR, maybe? I'd ask Igneel, my adoptive father, later. Right now, Lucy was just feet away.

"Hey, Natsu, what's up?" she asked, leaning up against the wall casually, hand on her hip. It was very Lucy, that pose. I grinned.

"Wanna come over today?" I asked her, so excited I started bouncing on my toes. "I have a ton of homework I need help with." A white lie – it was a lot, but I didn't really need her help doing it. I just liked it when I was around Lucy. I was always totally energized, even if I got no sleep the night before, and there was this funny feeling in the pit of stomach whenever we touched. Like an electric shock, but better. I knew from experience – there were a lot of light sockets in my house. Lucy was like my drug.

One of the people I'd passed a minute ago made a moaning noise and gasped for air. So she wasn't dead after all. That was good. But Lucy made a face and rolled her eyes. "Let's move away from the PDA, Natsu." I wondered what PDA was, and then she grabbed my hand and towed me back to where her friends were standing, frowning at us and muttering to each other. Was there something on my face?

A second later, every other thought was wiped from my brain. The electric feeling was back, along with the tingle in my stomach. Lucy was touching me. She was holding my hand. My grin stretched ear-to-ear, and I followed her blindly. Wherever we went, it was fine as long as we were together.

We reached her friends and Lucy smiled easily at them. I watched, fascinated, as they relaxed one by one. "Sorry, guys. Looks like I can't go after all. Natsu needs my help with his homework today." A guy in the front glared at me.

"Come on, Luce. You're always helping this idiot. Come out with us for once." Gray, as usual, didn't like me. The feeling was mutual. A blue-haired girl grabbed Gray's arm and leaned into him, smiling.

"But Juvia likes it when Lucy goes to help Natsu, Gray. It means Juvia can be alone with you." Gray's cheeks turned red, but he didn't say anything to discourage Juvia. I thanked her silently and offered her a smile. She smiled back. As always, I felt nothing when she did. Same for every other girl in the school – they weren't Lucy, so they weren't important. Suddenly, it occurred to me that Lucy was still holding my hand. Her hand was cold, and I gripped it a little tighter, trying to warm it up. Lucy didn't look down, but her smile brightened a little.

"It's settled. I'll see you guys tomorrow." She nodded to me and we left, hand in hand. I grinned hugely at her.

"Thanks, Luce!" She laughed, throwing back her head and letting it out.

"Of course, Natsu. What are friends for?" It was funny – the word 'friends' made my breath lodge in my throat, and not in the good way. Why did hearing Lucy call us friends make me so restless? I shoved that idea aside and launched into a description of my homework for the day. Write a lab report for science, a thousand words for creative writing, three French worksheets... The list was long and tedious. Lucy just laughed and teased me, and I laughed with her as we walked the quarter-mile to my house.

"I'm home!" I shouted, entering the house. The door was unlocked, so Igneel was home, probably working on his latest novel. "Lucy's here too!" Lucy slipped out of her shoes and walked into the house, perfectly familiar with her surroundings.

"Do you even have to tell him anymore? I'm here almost every day." I shrugged and followed her upstairs to my room. Happy, my cat, was sleeping on my bed with his tail curled around him. I nudged him over and flopped over onto the tangled blankets.

"Ah, I'm tired. Time for a nap!" I announced. Lucy was sitting down at my desk, but she got up when she heard that.

"No, you have way too much homework to do! Come on, Natsu." She sat on my stomach, but it didn't really bother me. I just grunted and closed my eyes. They popped open a second later.

"Oh yeah, Lucy." Lucy glanced down at me, arms crossed.

"What?"

"I forgot to ask earlier – what's PDA?" She stared at me, and then burst out laughing. "What?"

"Sorry," she mumbled around her giggles. "It's just that I was thinking about that just now too." The blonde took a deep breath and smiled at me, making my stomach flip-flop. "PDA stands for public displays of affection." I frowned.

"What kind of affection?" Is giving CPR affection? Lucy pondered my question for a while, opening her mouth to say something then snapping it closed again. She seemed to be debating with herself about something.

Finally she said, "I don't think you'll get it unless I show you. Is that okay?" I nodded, still very much confused. Show me how? I wasn't dying. Lucy shifted so she was straddling me, her knees pressed against the mattress. "Ready?" she said, but it didn't sound like she was asking me. It was more like she was making sure she was ready. I nodded anyway. "Okay," she breathed.

The pause lasted forever, and yet it was over too soon. Then she was leaning down, bringing her face right up next to mine, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and then she was pressing her warm hot cold soft smooth familiar strange lips to mine and then it was over. I opened my eyes, realizing I'd closed them at some point. Lucy was staring down at me, her cheeks flushed, her breath coming in short gasps, and that was when I figured it out.

She felt it too. The spark lighting up her body when we touched. The endless energy. The funny tightness in the pit of her stomach. She felt it too.

"Do you get it now?" she whispered. "That kind of affection." I nodded, even though it didn't really make sense. It didn't matter anymore. What I was feeling didn't need a name. It was enough just knowing it was mine and hers alone.

I wrapped my arms around Lucy's waist, locking my fingers behind her. We fit together. Two pieces of the same puzzle. Apart, we were incomplete. Together, we were whole. "Let's do it again," I suggested softly. A slow smile spread across her face, and my breath caught in my throat. It was always like that with Lucy. She was just... different.

She tilted forward, her hair brushing silkily over my skin. I lifted my head so my mouth would meet hers again, and this kiss was longer. Another followed that, and another one after that. "One more?" Lucy laughed, pressing her cheek to mine. I sighed contentedly and hugged her closer, inhaling her vanilla scent.

"You don't have to ask."

**I had _so much _fun writing this. Isn't it just so cute? I played around a little with Natsu's innocent side. Lucy's kind of OOC, sorry. In case you're wondering, the weird spacing when they kissed for the first time was deliberate. Once again, thank you so much for your review, DazzTugz. For those of you who haven't read it, I have another Fairy Tail fic in progress called Just Friends. Also a NaLu fic. I recommend Bonds and Scars by ThatGuyYouMetOnce, also. So then, I will see you never!**

**Giselle**


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